A Patchwork of Activity
Some people like to see how the sausage is made, some not so much.
The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville & Documentary was shot during the making of an unnamed production during the Oceano theatre’s recent 50th anniversary season. If you are a fan of professionally polished theatre and want to embrace the notion that staged productions get there fully cooked (so to speak), this 23-minute documentary isn’t for you.
But if you’re into lengthy glimpses of how actors and singers and dancers work their craft—along with shorter takes on things like how costumers ponder design choices and how directors herd cats (sorry—performers)—into a cohesive production, then this is the short film for you.
TGAM&V&D (for short) is billed as a “hybrid documentary that invites the viewer behind the curtain to witness a troupe of young actors as they open their hearts on stage through a parody-western-musical-comedy.” Without linear narration, the film unfolds using video of rehearsals with voiceovers from cast and crew members.
Director Eileen McNulty stitches these snippets of commentary and shots of bodies in motion into a patchwork of activity that is a pretty good representation of making the sausage, especially for theatre folk who are familiar with the process. The question is whether the film provides enough of a through-line to the finished sausage for everyone else.
Besides its unscripted bits, the film also grinds into its patchwork a bit of a surprise: a mini-musical number of its own with lyrics by McNulty and music arrangement by Andy Hudson. This bit could serve as a scripted, narrative short all on its own if it were developed more fully.
All in all it’s good to see some familiar Melodrama faces, including Noah Esquivel, Annaliese Chambers, Austen Horne, Nick Houchin, Jeffrey Laughlin, Brett Mollard, Jill Price, and Johnny Keating, as they make the sausage that will eventually become an entertaining treat for Central Coast audiences.
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival screening of The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville & Documentary (World Premiere, 23 minutes, USA, rated PG-13, in English), sponsored by Nurse Mo, is scheduled as part of the festival’s Central Coast Filmmakers Showcase on Monday, April 27 at the Palm Theatre. The film will be screened along with two other shorts: May I Put You on Hold? and The Last Act.
Editor’s Note: Read Charlotte Alexander’s article on the making of The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville & Documentary.